Languages

Old Realm

The “perfect” language, influenced by the Heavens and the will of the Celestial Incarna. Can accurately and expressively describe any rational concept without any need for redundancy or abstraction. As such, it has a literally infinite number of words- one word for every specific item in Creation, and for each category thereof- and has no use for mortal conceits like synonyms, metaphor or analogy. Old Realm also lacks pronouns and tenses, instead using full names or titles and explicitly declaring the tense of each sentence. While the basic grammar is exceedingly simple, there exist a multitude of alterations and adaptations available to a speaker. Grammar is tightly integrated into the meaning of each sentence. Lacking (or not needing, rather) metaphor, tools like alliteration, rhyme and rhythm differentiate the skilled orator and are the primarily signifiers of elegance. Because of the nature of the vocabulary, speaking Old Realm with low (or no!) occult or lore tends to mark one as a “country bumpkin” more than any accent ever could- especially small gods tend to get by with one to three word exclamations, knowing only the words directly tied to their domain.

Written Old Realm is identical to the spoken tongue, and calligraphy is judged for its clarity and beauty rather than any hidden or extra meanings.

Sounds something like Babylonian, with a whole lot of multisylabic made-up fantasy words.

Good Sentence: [As a generalized comment], the Rain in Spain Falls Mainly in the Planes [present tense]. Example Sentences:

• 1) [Specific proposal] Bill, the merchant’s [your] vendibles are scrutinized by Hollow Jack, the God of Empty places, unless Bill objects. [immediate future tense]
• 2) [Ambiguity as to relevance] The recalcitrant reap retribution from the revenging receiver of offence [immediate future tense]

High Realm

The most direct descendant of Old Realm in Creation, touched lightly by the stable Elemental Pole of Earth, carefully and deliberately altered for human use and human minds by the master linguists and refined through two millennia of cautious practice. The language is officiated and centralized through the Practicable and Pertinent Guide to the Perfected and Infallible Language as Spoken by the Scarlet Court (Forever May It’s Words be Recalled), a subdivision of the Insightful Observers Office.

High Realm focused exclusively on the more complex and formal grammatical variants of Old Realm, and is the first introducer and primary user of tense, complex punctuation, metaphor and simile. While pronouns exist, they remain unvalued. The language has one vowel sound for each vowel, and only the rarest word varies from this. Adapted for noble use, syllables require careful pronunciation as little to no space between the words and the language is incredibly modulated and subtle, to the point of each sentence sounding like a monotonous and toneless run-on-word to outsiders who cannot detect the intricacies. The end result sounds something between high-speed Japanese (with the vowel limits) and BBC English (with the class associations for modulation and vocabulary).

The written language is significantly different from Old Realm, using an alphabet- consisting of selected old realm glyphs- in which each symbol represents a consonant and a choice of two possible vowels. As such, writing a letter is a complex matter, often involving choosing the right letters of two or three options to best represent the tone and hidden meanings, allowing for a plenitude of puns and allusions.

Good sentence: This humble officiary [allusion to both the word for “friend” and “tool”] apologizes profusely [written to indicate “not too profusely”] to the eminent reader for any residual errors in this simple sentence.

Example Sentences:

• 1) “Chi-sih-shu-peh-rah-woo-doo-la-yee-kee-too-peh-roo-zoo-yo-ro-weh-reh-zeh" (This shopper would like to peruse your wares.)
• 2) "Yoo-wih-lih-suh-fuh-ruh-foro-chih-sih-ini-fireh-keh-shuh-nuh." (You will suffer for this infraction.)

Low Realm

Earth is dirty, practical and slow. The language of the common folk of the Blessed Isle has had over a thousand yeas of drift away from the tightly regulated formalism of Old and High Realm, and for the past six-hundred years has been clearly recognizable as its own language.

The slow elemental pull of earth and the regularity of interaction with High Realm speakers has kept the range of vowel-sounds similar and left many shared words. Nonetheless, the simplification of grammar and vocabulary, the increase in available pitch and the increased gutterality of the words and phrases are the critical differences. Also, words no longer run together, instead being separated by a full moments pause, and clear, crystalline changes in pitch are used to differentiate meaning between the imposing number of single-syllable words.

Low Realm sounds like Chinese played in slow-motion from a bad cassette.

Being purely a language for the lower classes, there is no written form of Low Realm.

Sentence: Me don’t want to fuck that whore, boss, when me got wifey at home.

Example Sentences:

• 1) "SHO mee wah-choo GAH-toh" ("Show me what you got")
• 2) "Fo da-tuh, yoRO ah-SAH ee-ZEE gah-rah-SAH" ("For that, your ass is grass")

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